Voting Hours on Election Day

Polls are open for 12 hours across the country on election day. The voting hours are staggered so that the majority of results are available at approximately the same time on election night.

Voting hours at polling places for each time zone across Canada.

Time zone

Voting hours (local time)

Newfoundland

8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Atlantic

8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Eastern

9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Central

8:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Mountain
(and Saskatchewan in the 2015 election)*

7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Pacific

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

*In Saskatchewan, when daylight saving time is in effect for the rest of the country, voting hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Electoral districts spanning more than one time zone

If an electoral district spans more than one time zone, the returning officer, with the prior approval of the Chief Electoral Officer, determines one local time for voting throughout the district.

The correct voting hours will be listed on the voter information cards sent to electors living in these electoral districts. The voting hours can also be found in the online Voter Information Service under Where do I vote?

The electoral districts spanning more than one time zone are:

Labrador

Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine

Kenora

Thunder Bay–Rainy River

Kootenay–Columbia

Nunavut

By-elections

The voting hours listed above also apply to by-elections, except when by-elections held on the same day are taking place in the same time zone. In that case, voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.